“Well, we’ll work on that for you.”
Clay and I left the bedroom, and after we grabbed our phones and wallets, and he his keys, we left the house. I shook my head at my old blue station wagon sitting in his driveway. It really was out of place, but I had a feeling that Clay was going to have it gone soon enough. I would miss it somewhat. It was my first car, and I’d worked hard and saved to buy it. Clay’s touch on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts.
“You don’t have to sell your car,” he said.
“I don’t mind.” I sighed. “It’s not practical for where we’re going to be in six or seven months.” It truly wasn’t. It had seat belts, but it didn’t have the modern ones or latch points for the car seats. It had power nothing, and on a good day the fan blew to circulate air.
“We can window shop on the tablet later. Once you decide something you might like, we’ll find a day that works for us and go and you can test-drive different models.”
I sat there in the truck and nodded absently. Clay smiled at me and then closed the door. I stared blankly through the window. Test-drive? Me? That wasn’t expected. Clay climbedinto the truck, and I turned to him with wide eyes. “Do I have to test-drive it?”
“That’s what makes the most sense. You’re the one who will be driving it the most. You should be comfortable with it. If it’s something that intimidates you, then we should look for a different vehicle.”
Why did he have to make so much sense? I nodded slowly. “All right.” I put on my seat belt, and as Clay started the truck and backed out of the driveway, I pulled out my phone and messaged Charlie.
Me: I need advice. Lots of changes. Mated. Marriage talk. Quitting job talk. Kids. All the things. Help. Advice. He’s offering everything, and I feel guilty. I have nothing to offer. What do I do?
It took several minutes for Charlie to respond, but when he did, it made me feel better.
Charlie: Breathe. Take several deep breaths and try to relax and don’t let it overwhelm you. I know it’s a lot, but Clay is good people. His family are all amazing. They were raised right—although Joyce can be a bit pushy. She does mean well and is super excited about things. That said, just go with it. I know it’s difficult, but you won’t regret it. These guys are established in things. They have the security (no pun intended) that alphas strive for. Their business is growing faster than they can hire people but that doesn’t make them arrogant or entitled. They are down to earth. I’ve seen how close they are as a family, and it’s amazing.
Charlie: And for fuck’s sake, let the man spoil you. You need someone to finally do that for you. Clay can. Let him. He’s your mate. You can either fight him on it, or just let him spoil you and make him happier for your acceptance. And you bring a lot to the relationship. You’re an amazing person who is loyal and works hard. You’re friendly and fun to be around. He’s going to fall hard and that’s okay. Let him. Just like you need to let him spoil you. Why? Because he can and you deserve it.
“Everything okay?” Clay asked. I blinked at him before answering. “Yes, it is. I was messaging Charlie.”
“Ah. That’s good. Hopefully he can give you the advice you want.”
I smiled. “Yeah. I think he can.” I had a lot to think about. Could I actually do what he suggested though?
Chapter Thirteen
Clay
Our plans completely went out the window when he went into heat two days after we’d claimed one another. It only lasted just over twenty-four hours, but Duncan didn’t feel like doing much more than lying in bed for another day after that. Not that I blamed him. My gorilla and I were tickled that he seemed to enjoy us seeing to his every need, and we had spent a great deal of time lying in bed talking.
I could tell Duncan was nervous. His leg was bouncing, and he was chewing on his lower lip. I reached over and placed my hand on his knee. Immediately, the bouncing stopped, and he looked at me with wide eyes.
“You’re adorable.”
Duncan sighed. “I know.”
I chuckled. It was the first time he’d ever agreed with me. Duncan shrugged.
Whatever we were going to say out loud was interrupted by the finance manager, Tony, returning.
“Sorry about that. The printer should be working as it needs to now.”
“You finally agree with me that you’re adorable?”I asked through our bond.
“Well, you’re hot.”
I nodded.“I know,”I replied.
I could feel Duncan relax, and that was what I wanted. I understood it could be stressful when it came to purchasing a new vehicle. I was surprised I’d been able to talk him into a new one too. But I thought that Charlie had helped a lot with that. He and Charlie had been texting a lot lately, and my brother-in-law had been able to think of things to say that I hadn’t. It made sense. Duncan had just had a heat, and we absolutely did not use anything to prevent a pregnancy. And, well…there very well could be a baby in our future around the end of the year or early next year. Having something new and reliable would be a good thing for not only this baby but future ones.
“Yes,” Tony said. “If you agree to the terms, just click here, and it will approve your digital signature for all of the future spots, and we’ll get the two of you out of here in under fifteen minutes.”
I clicked the little box, then clicked the next one to accept the digital signature, then handed the mouse over to Duncan. He gave me a wide-eyed look.
